Avoiding Gender Stereotypes in Advertising

In the history of humanity, females have been stereotyped as housewives, submissives, and objects. In recent years the use of sexy female images to sell products directed at male audiences have been the focus of analyses and have created big controversies. The major concern over objectification is the role and image of women that are being portrayed to young people. Julie M. Stankiewicz, a member of the Department of Psychology of Wesleyan University, in her article “Women as Sex Objects and Victims in Print Advertisements,” constantly opposes women being used as objects because this objectification can lead to violence against women. When advertising shows that the use of women as sexual objects is normal, it is implying that rape, sexual assaults and verbal abuse is normal as well. Commercials where the center of attention is a sexy and almost naked woman instead of the product itself, are reinforcing the idea that woman are just objects that can be used and rejected as the man pleases. Advertising targeting men viewers should be less offensive for women and focus more on other aspects that are relevant for the male audience, such as camaraderie, friendship, adventure or family. The “Live Your Fantasy” campaign from Red Tape Male Shoes is visually attractive and colorful, but the big problem is that all the ads for this campaign are objectifying women and the less important object in the ads are actually the shoes. In one of the print ads, for example, four attractive young women are posing in very sexy postures, waiting to be bought inside a vending machine, while a male is looking at them as if he was choosing a “cold soda.” The ad is eye-catching and centers the focus on the young females. The ads on the machine say “served chilled” and also state that the machine is “open 24 hours.” The slogan of the ad says “Live Your Fantasy” in the upper right corner, right next to the merchandise (the young women). The ad is intended to be for shoes, but the shoes the male is wearing are less important than the women. This ad is problematic because it is implying that females are for sale, and that you can buy them as if they were items in a vending machine. This campaign also implies that women are disposable, and that their only propose in life is to help the male to “live his fantasy,” as the slogan states. Additionally, another ad from the same campaign shows in the foreground a middle aged male dressed in business casual clothes and shoes; he is sitting in a conference room drinking from a cup. Nothing unusual, but in the center of the ad over the conference table three young females are pole dancing in very sexual clothes and provocative poses. Stankiewicz states that ads like this help to create a climate in which certain attitudes and values flourish “such as the attitude that women are valuable only as objects of men’s desires, that real men are always sexually aggressive, that violence is erotic, and that women who are the victims of sexual assault ‘asked for it’” (1). Although the use of sexual imagery is not new, it seems to have increased in recent years. Christian Dianoux and Zdenek Linhart, in their study “The Effectiveness of Female Nudity in Advertising in Three European Countries” explain that “graphic sexual images seem more extreme, more pervasive and more perverse than before. Consumers, however, appear increasingly tolerant of this form of advertisement.” Nowadays, males and females are more aware of the use of sexual imagery in advertising, but the problem is that they are looking at this as the “normal” rule, or the normal way to be. The youth is being exposed to sexual messages any time and every day, regardless of their age, this would lead to a women-hate culture when people would see gender related violence as “normal” and acceptable. On the opposite side, other brands such as Tommy Hilfiger or Diesel base their campaigns on the brotherhood and the “bromance” that exists in all male relationships. The ad from Tommy Hilfiger shows four males on a camping day. The four guys are in the foreground wearing comfortable and fashionable clothes. They are sitting and interacting in a relaxing environment with mountains and a river in the background. This advertisement does not need to show a semi-naked woman to attract attention. It is appealing to the spirit of adventure, the true friendship and the partnership that exists in male relationships. Similarly, a Diesel ad is also appealing to the camaraderie between men by showing two males carrying a giant hammer, implying that men help each other to advance and reach their goals. The two young males are dressed in modern attractive and casual Diesel clothes. The slogan that accompanies the ad reads, “Portraits for Successful Living.” More ads should follow their lead to make advertising more focused on positive images instead of on the reinforcement of sexual imagery. Likewise, the Nivea Lotion campaign “Gentle Men,” shows another feature of the male personality. The ad portrays the idea that a male can be gentle, kind and protective. The ad shows a father in a protective attitude towards his son. The father is standing behind the child who has his head reclined on the father’s chest. The boy is smiling in the foreground showing that he is a happy boy and he feels safe being protected by his dad. The advertisers are trying to sale the idea that a father needs to be protective and that men can take the leadership about their family safety. Ultimately, some advertisers have begun to concentrate their advertising in these other views of masculinity. Tom Nakayama, Professor of Communication at Arizona State University in his article “Image of Man in Advertising,” states that nowadays advertisers are trying to show males portraying images of men who are gentle, caring and sensitive; “Such images offer alternative social roles for men unwilling or unable to restrict themselves to the role of the strong loner or female eater. Instead, they affirm the idea that men, experience a broad range of feelings and emotions,” making them more “human” with feelings and the capacity of love and be loved. (1) As shown above, all the previous ads reached their goal: sell their products; but without appealing to sexual images and without portraying a female as the object of male’s desires. They are reaching their target, male audience, utilizing other aspects appealing to men. More advertisers should do this because they would not also reach the male audience but also the female because women would not feel attacked by their publicity, leading to an increase of their sales and their brand presence in the market. Advertisers need to reevaluate the way they are using the images in their commercials. TV, magazines, billboards, and internet pages are full of sexual images portraying both males and females just as simple sexual objects; with the only purpose being to sell the products. Society needs to understand the impact that advertising has on men, women, and above all children in order to avoid overexposing them to images that reinforce the gender stereotypes. Advertising targeting men should be based more on the positive aspects of being a male than just on the sexual attraction for women.